Old Friends
by Darkl26139
Summary: A sequel to Story of a Hero. Another alien has come to earth and is less understanding than Draggon was. Update: Chloe tries to recruit Bruce Wayne to join their club. Will he? Warning: some characters suffer torture and may die
1. Chapter 1

**Old Friends**

Part I

Pain fills his body. It is his whole universe for what seems like forever but he realizes was probably only a few minutes. As the pain subsides, his vision clears and he sees a Kryptonian standing before him. It is not a surprise because where ever he has found pain there have been Kryptonians.

"My son needs your help." the Kryptonian says.

At the Kryptonian's words, his memories flood back to him. Grabbing onto and image and a name, he stammers "Your son is Clark."

"Yes that is the name you know him by." Jor-El replies.

"Where am I? Wait. I died fighting Brainiac. How did you bring me back?" inquires Draggon. As hard as he tries, he cannot recall where he went. His memories end at the battle with Brainiac.

"Yes. By your definition of the term you did die but for me it was a simple matter to restore you." Jor-El explains while pointing to a Kryptonian device next to him.

Draggon laughs to himself "Even as a computer ghost, Jor-El is still an arrogant bastard." Draggon takes a closer look at the device and sees several crystal pods attached. In four of the pods are the shriveled remains of humans. In the final pod, a bald human lies in status. "How could you trade their lives for mine! You are not a god!" roars Draggon.

"Calm yourself beast! These men came here to steal my son's legacy. There is no doubt to their evil. Their sacrifice was necessary to save my son. I will do anything to protect him" replies Jor-El.

Draggon fires back with "And you wonder why the rest of the universe calls you monsters."

"What is done is done. All that is important is that you help my son. Another of your kind arrived in Smallville. Two days ago he confronted Kal-El and captured him. Also, he took most of Kal-El's friends. Only Bart there (points to another crystal chamber/pod) managed to escape. Odds are good if my son is not already dead, he will be soon. You must save him." Jor-El demands.

"I will help Clark because he is a good person. Not because a Kryptonian ordered me too. How do I get to Smallville from here?"

"I have created a portal that will take you to some caves just outside Smallville. I have a created a portable tracker to help you locate your brother (points to a device on the table)." Jor-El informs him.

"I won't need the device to find my brother in arms." Draggon replies.

Jor-El escorts him to the portal and in a flash of light Draggon is in a cave. Once outside, he roars and fires a pulse into the air. There is no way any of his people's ships will miss that signal he knows.

Earlier

Bart comes to with a sharp pain in his arm. Sitting up slowly he looks at his arm. He takes a deep breath to fight the rising panic at what he sees. The arm is twisted almost completely backward at the elbow. No doubt it is broken. Screaming as he grabs and twists the arm back the right way. A wave of dizziness accompanies the pain but he manages to fight it off. 'Oh my god. That really hurt. Pull it together Bart. The league is depending on you. Get up. Get moving.' echoes in his mind. Wrapping his broken arm as carefully and tightly against his chest as he can, Bart the starts off for the Fortress once more.

Several hours later (an eternity for someone who is used to circling the global in a few seconds.) Bart arrives at the Fortress. He calls to Jor-El. When Jor-El's image appears, he shows Jor-El the key Clark gave him and says "Clark is in trouble bad. Heck, the whole league is in trouble."

Jor-El looks Bart over but opens a door for him. Inside Jor-El asks "What happened? Why did my son send you?"

"Some alien guy showed up in Smallville. At first, Chloe thought it was a friend of hers. Boy that girl does have a lot of strange friends. Anyway, she ran up to him calling his name. When she got up to him, she realized it was not her friend so she apologized for mistaking him for someone else. Then this alien guy grabs her. Right out of the blue. No warning whatever. Clark tells him to let her go. The alien guy just shoots Clark with some blue ray and then starts asking Chloe about her friend while still holding off the ground by one hand. Chloe tried to explain but before she got a chance Clark tried tackling him. Clark bounced off! This made the alien laugh and say something about being prepared for him. He then threw Clark into a car! It was like nothing to him. When that happen Boss Man order the rest of us into action. That ended badly. This guy took us apart. Boss man fired a few arrows at the alien to get him to drop Chloe which didn't work the way he planned. Alien guy used Chloe as a shield! Boss man really freaked then. He charges the guy. Not really smart since we all just saw him take out Clark like that (snaps fingers). Boss man hits him with his bow and the bow snapped in two. The alien then drops Chloe and punches Boss Man. Boss Man is out cold. Canary steps in next with her sonic attack which actually hurt the alien. She managed to knock him off his feet. So what does he do, he rips out a fire hydrant and throws it at her. She managed to avoid it but the distraction gave the alien guy enough time to get back up. He charges her but AC tackles him. AC starts wailing on the guy and even out of water AC is strong. The guy just takes it! Doesn't seem to faze him one bit. Next thing I know the alien guy brings his tail around and clobbers AC. AC is knocked off the guy but was still conscious. At least until Alien guy pile drove AC's head into the ground. Lights out. Canary starts yelling at me to get my head in the game because I was totally frozen. In like 30 seconds, most of the league was down. She attacks the alien guy with her scream again. This must have hurt him because he got mad and roared. He pounds the pavement with both his fists sending a shockwave thru the ground to Canary. She goes flying when the ground jumps beneath her feet. Before she has even hit the ground, alien guy hits her with his tail. He used a cool leap/swing attack like the Gorenarotor used in Fatal Combat 5. Anyway, she bounces several feet before slamming into a building. Boom she is out. Now it is just me and this alien guy. Before the alien guy turns his attention to me, Clark calls me over. He tells me to give you this and ask you for help. So I start off for the Fortress, when a gasoline tanker truck goes sailing past me. I managed to avoid the worst of the blast but as you can see from my arm not all." Bart says in a super speed rush.

"We will need help to rescue Kal-El." remarks Jor-El.

"Duh! That is why I am here. By the way do you at least have any aspirin. I am in so much pain right now." Bart replies.

"Come here and get in." (shows Bart a crystal coffin thing attached to one wall). This device will heal you." Jor-El calmly tells Bart.

"I am not crazy about small spaces you know." Bart says trying to decide if the pain he is feeling is worth risking the box.

Tired of wasting valuable time on Bart, Jor-El mentally summons a drone. He orders the drone to shove Bart into the healing chamber.

Staring at the crystal coffin, Bart doesn't notice the drone come up behind him. It none too gently grabs him and shoves him into the device. The chamber door closes before Bart can recover from the sharp burst of pain caused by the drone's rough handling.

With Bart inside, Jor-El activates the healing chamber. Bart quickly falls unconscious. The human isn't necessary for his current plan so Jor-El decides to leave Bart in status even after his injuries have been healed. He doubts the human would understand what he is about to do and probably would not approve. Jor-El doesn't care about what humanity thinks. Saving his son is all that matters. He orders drones to fetch the remains of Zod's shock trooper which Clark entombed just outside the fortress. Thanks to the intruders earlier this month, Jor-El has all he needs to restore the creature. It is risky but Clark was convinced he could trust it.

When the drones have placed the body in the main chamber, he brings the device on line. Jor-El absentmindedly notes one of the intruders is conscious. 'Time to get started.' he thinks. Jor-El doesn't notice the frantic pounding on the chamber holding the conscious intruder. When Jor-El turns on the device, it immediately starts draining the life force from the first pod. The human inside quickly shrivels and dies so the device starts on the next pod. The awake human has noticed what is happening and his pounding has increased. Jor-El ideally wonders if the device will require 4 or 5 humans to repair the creature. "Only four" Jor-El notes.

By this point the bald awake human has given up trying to break out of its confinement. He just glares at Jor-El. He does appear relieved when the Jor-El turns off the device.

Unimpressed by the human, Jor-El floods the holding chamber with a different status chemical. Jor-El is pleased to see the human fall back into status. He makes a note to study this human more closely. "None of the others were able to wake themselves. What makes this one different?" he wonders.

In the Alien's ship

As Chloe hangs in her restrains she decides it is not her nudity that bothers her or even the strange devices that when placed on her skin cause her to scream. No what really bothers her was that all this was being done to hurt Clark. The pain on his face was worse than anything her body felt. She knows this is exactly why he tries to keep people at a distance. She is proud of one thing: when it was clear the alien intended to torture them, she saved the league members by volunteering she is Clark's lover. The look Clark gave her hurt but she suspected the alien would not be interested in torturing the league if he had someone else more valuable to work on. She was right. The downside is the alien doesn't believe what she and Clark told him. He cannot seem to accept that Draggon let Clark live. He is convinced they ambushed and murdered his friend. She fears he will grow tired of the torture and just execute them all.

The alien has returned, Chloe notices. She braces herself in her restraints and tries not to scream when he applies his devices to her skin. The pain proves too much for her once more and screams escape her lips. Clamping her jaw down harder she tries to cut them off but is unable.

"Since her screams fail to move you to tell me the truth perhaps I should try a more permanent method" say the alien while holding Chloe's head in his claw. One claw tip hovers just above Chloe's eye.

Clark screams "I told you he died saving this world. If you take me to the location, I told you about you can see his grave. He was my friend I swear. Please don't hurt her anymore. Hurt me. Kill me if you have too. Just let her and my other friends go." Clark breaks down into sobs. He has never been so helpless before. Whatever ray this alien used on him as robbed him of his powers. No matter how hard he struggles he has not been able to slip free. He hates himself for putting his friends, Chloe in particular, in such danger.

"Since her fate matters so little to you, I will save you the trouble of listening to her anymore." says the alien as he grabs Chloe's head. But before he can twist it to snap her neck, his ship alerts him that it has detected a distress call. Leaving Chloe hanging, he rushes to the control console. There is no doubt, his comrade is alive. "I knew you were lying. Despite your best efforts he survived. I will save you for him. I am sure he will thank me for the favor." the alien says. He orders his ship to fly to the distress call's location.


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

Draggon can feel the pressure caused by the ship's engines before he sees it de-cloak. Out jumps his friend Marcus. Marcus runs to Draggon. "It is so good to see you my brother." he says grasping Draggon's forearm near the elbow in a traditional greeting of friendship.

"We must talk. There are Kryptonians on this world unlike any others I have encountered." Draggon tells his friend.

"Do not worry yourself. I have one in my ship along with his human pets." Marcus assures Draggon.

"You have the one named Clark. Correct?" asks Draggon

"Yes. I stripped his powers and have him restrained. He is a cold one. I tortured his female human for hours and he still lied to me. I knew you were too stubborn to let death take you." Marcus says placing his arm around Draggon's shoulder.

Draggon hides his horror at Chloe being tortured. He remembers what he had done to others in the past. He hopes she is ok but deep down knows she isn't. "You don't understand Marcus. I know this will be difficult for you. It is difficult for me to grasp. I did die. I died fighting a construct called Brainiac. Clark's father Jor-El brought me back to life." Draggon admits.

"Why would he do that? How did he do that? No, my friend you are confused. Jor-El must have tricked you so you would feel grateful and spare him and his son." Marcus says trying to show Draggon the truth as he sees it.

"No, there is no doubt in my mind. I died. Jor-El restored me so I could save Clark and his friends." Draggon replies. He does not mention that Jor-El murdered four humans to restore him because he knows this would just confirm Marcus' view of Kryptonians and would doom Clark. Besides Jor-El was his responsibility. He would deal with him.

"Well, he was fool. Let's take Clark to his father so he can watch you kill his son." Marcus says.

"I won't do that. As incredible as it sounds Clark is my friend. I won't let you or anyone kill him. Please let him and his friends go." Draggon implores Marcus.

"Jor-El has clouded your mind! You must fight his control. You know they are nothing more than monsters. Hell, you were the first to break free. You must fight their control my friend." Marcus pleads

"No one will ever control my mind again! I am acting of my own free will. I have found the impossible on this planet: a Kryptonian who is a hero. Clark is that hero. I watched him risk all on more than one occasion to protect the people of this world and still I was not convinced so I tested him. I nearly killed him because I wanted him to fail but he would not relent. Even though he knew it was hopeless he fought on. He could have run and saved himself but he didn't. He passed my test.

The human called Chloe accepted me as soon as she met me. She was prepared to sacrifice her life for him. She has proven herself to be a true friend. It was because of her efforts that I gave Clark a chance. I am glad she convinced me. She saved me from making a horrible mistake." Draggon explains to his friend.

"You have gone mad! Helping a Kryptonian! That is treason as well as madness. Please see reason. I have no wish to battle you but I will if I must." Marcus implores. His stance changes to one of readiness. Draggon can see the tension building in his friend.

"There is no need for us to fight. Your ship can tell you if they control me. Take me and test me. You find I speak only the truth." Draggon offers. He kneels in a submissive position.

Still convinced his friend is mad, Marcus places restraints on his friend and leads him into his ship.

Back at the Fortress Jor-El does something he rarely does, he curses. He should have known better than to trust anything Zod made. Well, he has another plan. He turns to the pod holding the bald human and starts his devices.

As Draggon is led into the med bay, his soul is torn by the hope that appears and fades on Chloe's face as she hangs there. She clearly hoped for rescue. The signs of torture are obvious on her form. Draggon says "I am sorry you have to endure this Chloe. You don't deserve to be treated this way. Have faith. Marcus will see the truth as I have."

Near the back wall, Draggon notices Clark but Clark's head is down and he does not appear to be conscious.

Marcus' anger at Draggon's friendly tone to the human pet is clear by the way he shoves Draggon into a med pod. He instructs the computer to go to work discovering what has poisoned his friend's mind.

Several hours later Marcus is pounding his controls. The readings have not changed! The computer reports no sign of mind control. No drugs. No mental modifications. It verifies that Draggon speaks the truth as he knows it. "This cannot be." he roars. He stomps over to where Clark hangs. Grabbing Clark by the hair he lifts and demands "What have you done to my brother! He was the first! His hatred of Kryptonians is legendary. He has killed more than any other. He would never call one friend. Tell me!!"

Clark sees the madness in Marcus' eyes and knows reason will not prevail. A thought occurs to Clark. Perhaps he can save his friends another way. "Don't worry you will know soon enough yourself. I look forward to you serving me. I think I will make you jump thru hoops just to amuse me." Clark says with an evil laugh.

Marcus roars and punches Clark. The bones in Clark's face break under the blow and blood runs free.

Thru this bloody haze, Clark spits his blood onto Marcus and says challengingly "You cannot kill me creature. No matter what you do. You will be my pet. There is no escape for you." Clark laughs as evil as he can.

This enrages Marcus and he proceeds to beat Clark mercilessly. He enjoys breaking Clark's bones. He relishes ever scream. Hurting this Kryptonian makes him feel so alive.

'That's it. Kill me.' Clark thinks as Marcus beats him. He screams to give Marcus what he wants but in truth the pain doesn't brother him. With him dead, Marcus will have no reason to hurt his friends. They will be safe. Chloe will be safe. Eventually darkness consumes him and Clark sinks into it peacefully.


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

Breathing hard, Marcus steps back from the battered Kryptonian. At first he thinks he killed him but he sees the monsters chest rise and fall. Marcus is impressed how much the monster endured even without his powers.

Checking Draggon's readings once more, he is further frustrated to learn the next set of results shows the same as all the others. He needs to clear his head. He needs to find the father. The father will tell him what he did to Draggon. Marcus makes his way to the command center to check his scanners.

Clark awakens in intense pain. His ploy failed. His guilt starts to overwhelm him when he notices something. Marcus broke his arm in several places which has made it flexible enough to slip free of its restraint. Shoving the pain to the back of his mind, he reaches out and grabs one of the devices used on Chloe. It cuts thru the rest of the bonds quickly and he is free.

He drags himself to Chloe but when he turns her around to face him, he sees she is unconscious. The pain he is in nearly causes him to blackout and makes him realize he won't be able to care her. Clark decides to leave her there. Maybe if Marcus catches him, he will think Clark has abandoned her and let her go. He knows it is not much hope but he clings to it.

Next he drags himself to where Draggon is imprisoned. Pushing a few buttons, he manages to get the pod to cycle open. Spent, Clark collapses next to the pod.

Draggon awakens in the pod to find Clark badly injured next to it. Checking the computer he can see that Marcus has run his test dozens of times. Draggon feared Marcus would not accept the truth but he had to try. Taking a device from the med bay supply closet he bathes Clark in the ray. The beam restores Clark's powers and he immediately starts to heal. In moments, he is heal and conscious.

"I am sorry for what Marcus put you thru. This is wrong. Pl" Draggon is saying when he suddenly falls forward.

Behind him, Marcus stands with an energy weapon. He screams "Look what you made me do! He was my friend! You will pay monster!" He fires the beam at Clark but it reflects harmlessly off his chest. Realizing Clark has his powers restored, Marcus reaches for the weapon that will remove them but Clark uses his heat vision to destroy it first. Roaring Marcus dives at Clark.

The days of torture, of watching Chloe suffer have left Clark filled with rage. He meets Marcus's charge head on. Their collision sends both flying opposite each other. Marcus slams into some computer controls and they explode in a shower of sparks. Clark crashes thru the opposite wall. Picking himself up, Clark flies full speed at Marcus. His attack carries them both thru more of the ship and outside. Clark drives Marcus into the ground with a thunderous impact. His furry is too much for Marcus. His blows rain in a t super speed with more force than Clark has ever allowed himself to unleash. Marcus tries to fight back but Clark will not be denied. To finish him, Clark takes Marcus to the edge of space and then powers him back to Earth. Marcus hits with the force of a meteor and the surrounding farmland vaporizes under the force. Standing over Marcus, Clark grabs Marcus's head and draws back his fist.

Thru his broken mouth Marcus spits "Do it Kryptonian. Kill me. Know that another of my kind will come and avenge me and my brother." He glares definitely at Clark.

Marcus' words snap Clark out of his rage. Horrified at what he nearly did he lets Marcus fall. "I am not going to kill you. I am not the monster you believe." he says. With that he flies back to the ship to help his friends. 'Oh my god I nearly' flashes thru his mind.

Marcus cannot believe the monster spared him. It makes no sense. Marcus saw the rage and hate in Clark's eyes. 'Why didn't he finish him? Could it be that Draggon spoke the truth?' floats thru his mind as he lies in the crater as his body repairs itself.

As Clark approaches the ship, Clark finds Oliver and the league coming out. It seems Oliver and the rest of the league had been playing possum just waiting for a chance to escape. When Clark started that fight, they took the distraction to escape.

"Where is Chloe?" Clark asks.

"She is inside with Draggon" Oliver tells him.

"Is Draggon alive?" Clark asks.

"He was but I don't think he will last much longer. Chloe was trying to heal him but her power wouldn't work. I thought about dragging her out of there but felt it would be better if we helped you. Where is your dance partner anyway?" Oliver says.

"He is in what is left of a cornfield two miles over there. (Clark points) He is not a threat at the moment. I beat him pretty badly. (looks at his hands with remorse) I need to see Chloe." Clark says.

Inside, Clark finds Chloe sitting next to Draggon and saying "Why won't it work. Stupid power! Work."

Clark moves next to her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry Chloe."

"It is not fair. He already died once to save us." she says thru tears.

"Life is not fair Chloe. We can't save everyone. We all have to do the best we can. You taught me that." Clark declares.

"I keep trying my power but it does not work. I tried to get him to feed but nothing." she babbles.

She places her hands on Draggon once again and tries to summon her power but nothing happens. Clark trying to comfort her puts his hands on hers. When he does, light flows thru his hands into Chloe's and her power activates. The whole room is bathed in light.

When they can see again, they are glad to see Draggon's breathing has improved. The computer confirms his vitals have improved. He will be ok now.

Even more amazing Chloe is completely healed. Her power never worked to heal her own injuries before. She thought her body would always show the damage inflicted on it. It is vain but she is still relieved not to be disfigured. "What happened?" Chloe wonders aloud while staring at her scar free arms.

"I don't know. My Kryptonian DNA unlocked your power somehow. We should ask Jor-El. He probably knows what happened." Clark replies. Honestly he does care how she was healed, he is just glad she was. He couldn't have bearing looking at her otherwise. Her scars would never let him forget what she suffered because of him. It eases his guilt slightly to not have to see them.

In a few minutes Draggon regains consciousness. He breaths a sigh of relief that his friends are free. "Marcus?" he asks fearing the answer.

"We fought and I defeated him. Oliver and his crew are keeping an eye on him nearby. He hasn't moved from where I left him. I hurt him pretty badly (Clark shifts his eyes away) but Oliver assures me Marcus is healing. I remember how much punishment you could take but still. I hit him with everything I had. I have never let loose like that before." Clark admits. His shame is clear on his face.

"You proved I made the right choice again. You would have been completely justified in killing him after what he had done. You didn't. You are truly a superman Clark." Draggon declares while placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Embarrassed and feeling unworthy Clark starts to protest but Chloe cuts him off with "You don't know the half of it." Her mischievous grin and the bright color in Clark's cheeks clue Draggon into what she is referring too.

"Congratulations. You make a good lifemates." he says with genuine joy.

Turning her head to look at Clark, Chloe shares "I don't know if we are there just yet but things are going well."

"I know I have never been happier" Clark says with his patented conviction which causes Chloe to blush happily. Chloe moves next to Clark and he puts his arm around her.

"It is good to see my friends happy." Draggon states.

"I have to know. How is it you are here? We thought you were dead! I am so happy you are ok." Chloe asks

Guilt crosses Draggon's face as he replies "I was dead. Jor-El restored me. He did something horrible to restore me. I had hoped to wait to discuss this but you have a right to know what your father did, Clark."

Concerned Clark moves right up to Draggon and inquires "What did he do?"

Sighing Draggon tells Clark "He sacrificed 4 humans to restore me. He feed their life force into me using the fortress. I really wish he hadn't. My life is not worth 4 others no matter who they were." He wishes he did not have to cause Clark this hurt. One should love their father not hate them.

"What! That is not possible! He wouldn't. I mean he can be a jerk but." Clark stammers. His head swims with the enormity of the evil his father has done.

"I would not lie to you. Understand I cannot ignore this crime no matter how much it benefited me. However, he is your father. You have the right to deal with him first. If I could reverse the process I would. No one has the right to play god." Draggon declares.

"I have to talk to him." Clark states.

"I will go with you." Offers Chloe.

"No, I need to face him alone." Clark says with conviction and remorse.

"I will leave his fate to your judgment. I need to speak with Marcus. Hopefully, he is beginning to see reason." Draggon says and walks towards the field.

Chloe kisses Clark on the cheek and hugs him.

Clark flies off to face Jor-El. He still cannot believe what Draggon told him but in his heart he knows Draggon is not lying. He knows his father will do anything to ensure Clark fulfills the destiny laid out for him.

Draggon approaches Marcus as he lies in his crater. "Do you understand now my brother?" Draggon asks.

"It cannot be. He spared me. It makes no sense." Marcus replies. Clearly he has not yet come to terms with the existence of Clark.

Draggon feels for Marcus. It is difficult to say the least. Marcus' whole world view has just changed. Trying to help his friend understand he says "I never thought it was possible either my friend. The universe is a truly wondrous place if a Kryptonian can become a hero." Offering his claw, he helps Marcus to his feet.

Oliver and company tense but keep their weapons lowered. "If you got this, we have some pressing business elsewhere. If you need us, use this to call us. Chloe has one too." Oliver declares.

Draggon looks at Marcus then Oliver. "Everything is under control, my friend. If you need help, you should feel free to call on me as well." Draggon and Oliver shake hands.

On his way out, Oliver offers Chloe a ride. She refuses and reassures him she will be fine. She thinks she can help Draggon convince Marcus.

After Oliver and his team have left, Marcus comments "You really are comrades. The humans accept you so easily. The Kryptonian they treat as an equal. This is a strange place."

Laughing Draggon replies "It is indeed. Let's return to your ship. Chloe and I will answer all your questions."

Marcus looks at the human he tortured so cruelly. She is smiling at him of all things. 'How can she not be furious at what he did to her.' he wonders.

Chloe stands a little bit apart from Marcus and Draggon so they can have a bit of privacy. She puts on her best smile and waves when ever either looks over. 'Just do you best friendly helpful human thing, Chloe. Forget what he put you thru. Just let it go' races thru her mind.

"Chloe, Marcus and I are going back inside his ship. Would you join us?" Draggon asks.

'Holly crap. Back in there! Deep breath. Draggon is here. He won't let Marcus hurt you again' she thinks. Out loud she says "Sure" while smiling like an idiot.

After several hours, Chloe is exhausted. Marcus hammered almost as bad as Lois about Clark. He wants to know Clark's whole life in a few hours. She is proud of herself. She painted a glowing picture of Clark with just enough of the bad to make him believable. She is sure she won Marcus over.

Seeing Chloe is exhausted, Draggon tells Marcus they should stop for now. Draggon offers to help Chloe home. She gratefully accepts but she really wished Clark would get back already. 'What is taking Clark so long? God I hope he is Ok.' Chloe ponders.


	4. Chapter 4

Part IV

Once safely back in her apartment Chloe starts to cry. All the emotions she has held in check just pour out of her. She finds herself babbling about how horrible the torture was, how afraid for Clark she was, how she didn't want to die. She bounces from suppressed emotion faster than her mind can process. Thru it all two large surprisingly gentle reptilian arms hold her. When she has cried herself out, she falls asleep still in Draggon's arms.

Overwhelmed by Chloe's outpouring, all Draggon can do is hold her. He hopes it is enough. She suffered because of him. Marcus came looking for him. It was his death Marcus took revenge on her and her friends for. He truly wishes Jor-El had left him dead since he only seems to bring pain to those around him. When he notices Chloe has fallen asleep, he gently lifts her and starts for her bed. He freezes when he hears the door open but is relieved to see it is only Lois.

Lois drags her tired body home simply unable to follow one more lead tonight. She quietly opens the apartment door. She knows most of the time Chloe sleeps at the farm but if she makes noise she just knows it will be the one night Chloe is home. The sight that greets her is almost more than her tired mind can fathom. A large creature is holding her cousin just like the monster holds the damsel in every horror movie she has ever seen. Dried blood coats Chloe's torn garments and Chloe's head hangs down with her eyes closed. Lois' heart stops for a moment then she realizes there is no way she is actually awake.

When the creature says "Hi Lois.", it just confirms she is fast asleep on her desk at the planet. How else could it know her name?

Since she is dreaming, she says "Hi" back.

"Chloe had a rough day but finally fell asleep so I was putting her to bed. Now that you are home, perhaps you could help her into sleeping garments? Her current garments were damaged when she was tortured." the creature states calmly.

He acts like he and Lois are old buddies. Maybe this is a forgotten imaginary friend she thinks. Going with the dream, she picks out pajamas and watches the thing calmly leave the room and sit on the sofa. Swearing to herself not to eat anymore slices of who knows how old pizza late a night, Lois helps her barely conscious cousin into some pajamas. 'For someone who was tortured, Chloe looks pretty good' floats thru Lois' mind. There is not a mark on Chloe. Again this confirms that this is one wild and weird dream even for her.

Dying to know where this weird dream will go next, she walks back out to the living room and sits down opposite the creature. She says with no small amount of sarcasm "I am sorry but I just don't remember when we met."

So Draggon tells her.

'Someone spiked my coffee.' thinks Lois. She is impressed that her imagination is so creative. Imagine Smallville is an alien. Even in her dream she has to laugh at that.

The next morning Lois wakes up to find herself on the living room sofa. The bright sun causes her to squint. A large shadow covers her legs so she looks closely at the chair across from the sofa. The creature from her dream is sitting there.

Chloe jolts awake to the sound of screaming. Jumping out of her bed she runs out to the living room to find Lois using a broom to hold a confused Draggon at bay. 'Oh Boy, life just gets better and better' thinks Chloe. With all that she had been thru, she had completely forgotten about Lois. Poor Lois doesn't know that Jor-El wiped her mind. "How the hell do I tell her' Chloe's emotionally exhausted pre-coffee brain struggles to figure out.

Lois is relieved and concerned to see Chloe run into the room. "Look out Chloe! There is a monster in our apartment." Lois shouts in warning. She waves the broom she grabbed at the thing. Thankfully, it seems willing to keep its distance.

"Lois calm down. He is a friend of mine from out of town." Chloe replies. She is aware that is an understatement but it's the best her bran can come up with at the moment.

Lois is stunned speechless. Chloe is friends with that thing? Her mind and vision swim. Just as she is about to hit the floor a reptilian arm grabs and holds her. She is surprised by how gently the arm holds her. Still the claws on the end of that arm look razor sharp.

"Sit down, Lois while I get some coffee." Chloe says.

Earlier in the fortress, Lex screams as the black liquid covers his body and forces its way into his mouth. In moments, the process is complete. Jor-El opens the crystal chamber. He inquires "Are you fully functional?"

"Yes. This unit has successfully merged with the organic." the Lex/construct hybrid replies.

"Good. Now go and save my son." Jor-El orders.

The hybrid Lex flies out of the Fortress on his way to confront the alien.

Jor-El would have preferred to portal his creation to his son but his resent activities have severally drained the Fortresses power supplies. If only it were not the dark period for this region. This month without sunlight severely limits the amount of power available to the fortress. Krypton had no such dark areas. He does not even have the power to continue viewing the alien holding his son. He nearly didn't have enough power to finish remodeling the human. With his creation complete, he is confident he has nothing more to worry about. It will follow its programming and deal with the alien. He shuts down putting the fortress in full recharge mode.


	5. Chapter 5

**A New Man**

As soon as the fortress shuts down, Jor-El's presence leaves Lex's mind. A smile forms on his lips as the thought 'That fool thought his machine could dominate the will of Lex Luthor. He will pay for his folly but first I have some unfinished business.' floats through his enhanced mind. Lex laughs to himself as he revels in his new power. Clark's own father giving him the power to destroy Clark is a wonderful bit of irony.

Lex's companion alerts him to an object approaching at super speed from the south east. Using his new power to zoom in on the approaching object, a smile once again comes to his lips. Clark Kent is racing just above the icy surface so fast he is nothing but a blur to human eyes but Lex's eyes see him clearly. "Perfect, just the person I was looking for." Lex says to the open air. He does not wonder why the universe is being so good to him today. He is Lex Luthor. He expects the universe to try and appease him. Lex enjoys the sensation of power building as he brings his weapons on line. Lex alters his approach so he can come straight down on top of Clark. With a snarl he accelerates, pushing his new body to its limit. The winter wind swallows the howl of his flight.

As Clark races toward the fortress his mind is replaying the thought that his biological father took three lives to save him. 'How can Jor El play God like that? Are all Kryptonians that heartless and methodical? Could I end up being like that?' he questions as the icy wind battering against his impervious face is barely even noticed. He cannot accept that his flesh and blood father would do such a thing. It must be a flaw in this copy. He knows in his heart his father was a good man. If only his mind would agree. A grim look forms on his features as he mentally wrestles with whether or not to destroy the only link to his past, to his family.

As Clark races across the ice, he is so lost in his thoughts that Lex's attack takes him completely by surprise. Lex's rage at all the wrongs Clark has inflicted him takes shape as a beam of energy. The intensity of the beam vaporizes Clark's shirt and singes his skin while driving him hard into the ground. His impact plows a deep furrow thru the frozen ground. Before he can pick himself up, Lex dives out of the sky like the avenging angel he believes himself to be. He slams into Clark with such force that they are driven deep underground where they crash into a cavern. Lex does not pause for a second. He throws an unceasing flurry of punches and kicks which mercilessly drive Clark to his knees. Clark never has a chance. In far too short a time for Lex's liking, Clark slumps unconscious. As he prepares to deliver a killing blow, the construct freezes his arm midway thru his strike. Lex's arm quivers just inches from Clark's throat but not even the great will of Lex Luthor can override Jor-El's safeguards. Acknowledging that Jor-El has won this battle, Lex relents and is immediately able to move once again. He finds it immensely amusing that while Jor-El stopped him from killing Clark, he apparently has no problem with Lex being able to hurt Clark. 'I guess our dads aren't so different after all' he laughs to himself. As he stands over Clark's bruised and battered body, Lex's smile returns. He may not be able to kill Clark's body but he can kill his soul. He says to the unconscious Clark "You will beg me to kill you when I am done with you." Laughing manically, he explodes back onto the surface. As he soars into the sky on his way to Smallville, he tries to plan his next move but the construct continues to try and take control.

In Smallville, Lana is just finishing gathering the last of her things from the Luthor Mansion. When she learned, Lex had disappeared she took the opportunity to recover the things she was forced to leave behind. She is glad Tess did not insist on being here when she claimed her stuff. Tess was gracious but cold to her. Jealousy danced clearly in her eyes. Lana knows Tess was envious of her relationship with Lex. She wishes Tess good luck because she knows nothing good ever comes from a Luthor.

As Lex approaches his home, he is pleasantly surprised to see another gift from the heavens waiting for him at his home. His traitorous wife does not see him hovering above her as she loads boxes into her car. He watches her for a moment, wondering how she could have fooled him so. She claimed to love him but in the end like so much else in his life it was just a lie. A cruel smile works its way to his lips as he ponders how to make her suffer for wronging him. Too many ideas float through his evil mind for him to pick just one. Deciding to let the moment decide, he lands dramatically next to her. The force of his landing knocks her off her feat. He is frustrated to see only startlement in her eyes. He expected fear.

She defiantly stands back up, brushes herself off and demands "What do you want, Lex? You protégé was kind enough to let me get the last of my things."

Lex is not sure what she means by the protégé comment but it doesn't matter. He just stares at her imagining all the ways for her to suffer as she dies. He hopes she can see her fate in his eyes so she will beg for her pathetic life.

Instead, she laughs. Her laughter grates at his dark soul. How dare she! An energy blast silences her mid laugh. As her body fades out of existence, he looks down surprised to see he fired the blast. She lied to him! She left him! She betrayed him for Clark! She deserved her fate so why doesn't her death feel right. 'Oh well what's done is done. I have learned to live with worse.' he reminds himself. He proceeds into his mansion to see what has become of his empire in his absence.

Somewhere deep in Lex's mind a small boy awakens. Fear grips the boy's heart as he sees Lex standing over him so he is unprepared when Lex begs "Stop me." A glance behind Lex shows the scene of Lana dying. The boy cannot believe it. Tears run down his cheeks as he reflects "She loved us. If Lex had only listened, she would love us still."

Even after several very strong cups of Chloe's coffee, Lois is not sure she is really awake. It is all too much. Her whole world has flipped completely upside down. Not only is an alien sitting three feet away from her but Clark Kent is also an alien. Worst of all, it seems everyone else in her life knew these facts. 'Some reporter you are, Lois.' she mental chides herself.

Chloe sits sipping her coffee relishing the warmth and aroma as much as she does the taste. She has recovered somewhat from her ordeal but is still emotional and physically exhausted. She had not even thought about Lois or planned for her with everything else that happened. In a way dealing with Lois has helped her. She is always at her best helping others. She just has to learn to take better care of herself but Clark is helping her with that. 'God I wish he would get back already.' she thinks and immediately checks herself. Clark just found out his dad or the computer leftover of his dad is a murder. He is bounded to need sometime to deal with all that even if his confrontation with Jor-El goes smoothly. She has no idea what he could even do to Jor-El since they both know Clark needs the Fortress.

She glances at Draggon squirming on her sofa trying to look none threatening. His efforts make her smile. 'For such a fearsome creature he really is a sweet heart' she laughs to herself.

Draggon would give just about anything to be locked in heavy combat right now. It has been a rough few hours. First dealing with Chloe's out burst which he had no idea how to help her. Holding her was the only thing he could think of. He hopes it helped. It pains him to see her suffering so. He hates himself because it is his fault his friends were hurt. Kryptonians sure made their weapons well. No matter how hard he tries he brings pain and suffering everywhere he goes.

Then Lois's reaction to him was unexpected. Chloe explained why they erased Lois's memory but he still does not like it. Tampering with another min d is wrong as far as he is concerned no matter how noble the reason. This is exactly the type of thinking that corrupted the Kryptonians. With everything she had to endure, he could bring himself to lecture her. He will talk to Chloe about the seriousness of her and Clark's actions later. He prays she or Clark are not becoming the monsters he knew. He would hate to kill his friends. It would destroy him.

For now, he sits on Chloe's sofa and tries not to scare Lois anymore. He would return to Marcus's ship but the sun is up. He will have to wait for night to fall before returning. He did signal Marcus and let him know everything is ok.

Lex cannot focus on his empire long enough to find out who this usurp claiming to be his heir is. All that he can see is Lana's look of shock as her body faded out of existence. "It was not my fault. It was hers for betraying me." he rages. A single blow shatters his antique desk sending 300 year wooden shards about the room which destroy countless other priceless items. Lex notices none of this. All his focus is on keeping the tears that threaten him from appearing. He is a Luthor. Not some weak child. Desperate to rid himself of these feelings he storms out of his mansion and takes flight.

Unfortunately, not even the joy of flight is enough to consol him. Again the universe proves it favors him. His companion alerts him that it has located the alien that Jor-El created him to deal with. While not particularly interested in aiding Jor-El a good fight would help clear his head. Lex changes course.

Marcus relishes the sunlight warming his scales. For too long he has been deprived this simple pleasure. His duty forces him to spend far too much time in the voids of space. He much prefers being on a planet. No simulation can match the feel of a gentle breeze or true sunlight's warmth.

Also the healing warmth of the sunlight makes learning the universe is not as he knew it is a bit easier to bear. What does that mean for him or the others? What does he do know? Are there still evil Kryptonians out there? How will he tell the difference? Unfortunately no amount of sunlight will give him the answers he seeks. Life was simpler when it was black and white.

His sunlight is interrupted by a flying human. The human hovers above him in what appears to be a Kryptonian battle suit. It is not a model he is familiar with. Assuming this is another friend of Clark's; he gets up and offers a greeting "Hello, I am Marcus."

"I know who you are. Jor-El sent me to destroy you. While I am no longer his puppet, I do feel I owe him some small debt. Your death should even up the scored nicely." Lex says as he flies into Marcus. He carries them through a number of trees before finally sending Marcus crashing to the ground.

Marcus is caught unprepared by this human. As he struggles to free himself from the human's grip, he chides himself for being such a trusting fool. Only a raw recruit would make such a mistake. When Lex throws him to the ground, Marcus forces his body to go limp so he can easily roll with the impact. As he comes out of his roll, he is already summoning his power.

Lex is so enjoying his new power so much he fails to notice that the construct is trying to warn him of an energy build up in Marcus. Marcus's blast knocks Lex out of the sky and he lands ungraciously in a bush. Enraged all other thoughts are pushed to the back of his mind, just as Lex hoped. Embracing his rage, he explodes out of the bush after Marcus.

Seeing that his blast has done little to slow Lex, Marcus rushes back to his ship. He just manages to beat Lex inside but he doesn't reach the weapon he needs before Lex smashes thru the ship's door like it is tissue paper. Lex slams into Marcus' back. The loud snap of Marcus' spine is sweet music to Lex's ears.

However, Marcus has no intention of dying today. Despite no being able to feel his legs, he manages to throw Lex off him. Grabbing a device off a shelf, he fires it at Lex. An energy web entangles Lex. Marcus knows it won't hold him long but he only needs a second or two to heal. While his body is healing he drags himself towards the weapon case with the device he needs.

Lex rages as he fights the energy web. The construct is trying to provide guidance and take control. This added distraction is slowing Lex down. Ruthlessly he shoves the construct into a corner of his mind and locks it there. Now able to focus again, he finds a creative solution to escape the web. He fires a beam which in effect grounds the web to it and causes its energy to flow along his beam. The web quickly fades away.

All the while he fails to notice a small red haired boy watching him from behind his eyes.

Free Lex sees Marcus pull a weapon from a shelf. He tries to hit Lex with the beam but Lex is too quick. Firing his own beam back, he nails Marcus in the chest. Marcus screams and drops the weapon. Lex admires the hole he made in Marcus's chest as it closes. Curious to see how much punishment this creature can take Lex charges. Firing blasts as he advances, Lex reveals in the creature's screams. Lex is impressed by Marcus's healing abilities. Lex can see the holes he is making start close right before his eyes. Perhaps a more direct approach is required, he starts punching and kicking it.

Marcus tries to fight back but his injuries are too severe. His counteract only succeed in amusing Lex. Still, not willing to just lie down and die, Marcus does the only thing left to him. He activates his ship's self destruct.

Lex's companion warns him a moment too late. Racing away from the creature, Lex tries to exit the ship but the ship's explosion still catches him. Unlike Draggon's ship, Marcus's ship was rigged to take whoever killed him with him. The blast covers several miles. Hundreds of innocent people who lived on that side of Smallville are vaporized. A massive crater is all that remains of the area. The shock waves blow out windows as far away as Metropolis. It is a meteor storm level disaster.

In Chloe's apartment, Lois is questioning Draggon about life in outer space when the windows are blown in by the blast wave. Draggon covers Chloe and Lois so the shards of glass just shatter against his hide instead of harming them. Draggon recognizes that blast as Marcus's ship self destruct. Fearing the worst for his friend, he jumps out Chloe's window and runs down Main Street towards the blast area.

"Well, so much for keeping all this secret." quips Lois with her trademark sarcasms.

Ignoring his injuries, Clark pushes himself to fly back to Smallville faster. He is desperate to reach Chloe before Lex can. Clark does not even notice the damage his super flight causes. Weather patterns around the world are changed by his passing. All he cares about it is the eternity of the 3 seconds it takes him to reach her apartment. He arrives to find her apartment a disaster, for a moment his heart stops but then he sees her pulling on her jacket.

The force which accompanies Clark's entrance alerts Chloe to his presence. As she turns to him, he grabs her and hugs her. It is not just his bone crushing hug that drives the breath from her lungs, the kiss he gives her leaves her truly breathless.

"Now is not the time for a make out session. We have a disaster on our hands." Lois remarks.

"What happened?" Clark inquires.

"Some sort of explosion. It really freaked Draggon out. He jumped out the window and started running down Main Street." Lois answers.

Chloe is grateful to her cousin for she is still having trouble regaining her breath. She and Clark have been intimate before but he is always so restrained so careful. The kiss he just gave her was all passion and love. It has left her mind spinning.

Cries for help make their way to Clark's ears. Chloe recognizes that look. Someone needs him. "Go" she says.

Clark races out of the apartment, heading towards the most frantic voice. He finds a woman trapped in a minivan that was thrown into a building and then the building partially collapsed on top of it. She is frantically trying to claw herself free to reach something in her back seat. Clark's X-ray vision sees her baby. He is relieved to see its heart still beats. He rushes to free the baby and her mother.

As Draggon races down the street, all he can think of is Marcus. He fears the universe he showed Marcus was more than Marcus could handle. Again he brings everyone around him pain and death.

Draggon is dragged out of his self torment by the voices around him. At first he thinks they are all just screaming about his alien form but he quickly realizes there are cries for help also. Looking around he sees the devastation the explosion of Marcus's ship has caused. Devastation he is partly responsible for. Knowing what he has to do, he hopes Marcus can forgive him. He stops near a vehicle full of children. The vehicle is trapped under a broken pole and wires dangled down over the vehicle. A man in a uniform is trying to pull the wires from the vehicle using a pole of some kind but the wires are jumping around to much. Each time they touch metal, they spark which draws a new scream of fear from the children. The spark clues Draggon into the fact the wires are charged like Clark's fence. The children are in real danger of electrocution. Also, the vehicle is leaking fuel which may ignite.

When the uniformed human sees Draggon approach, he nervously draws a weapon. Draggon ignores him and goes straight for the wires. Wrapping them around his hand, he easily pulls them away from the vehicle. With a snap of his wrist, he pulls the wires free of the broken pole and is please to see he guessed right. Removed from the pole the wires loses their electrical charge. He then approaches the vehicle and peels open one side being careful to use his hand to smooth the ripped metal so the children will not be cut as they escape the ruined vehicle. By the time he finishes and steps back, the uniformed man has put his weapon away. He advances nervously next to Draggon and starts to help the children out of the vehicle. Hearing another cry Draggon rushes off to help.

Draggon's heroic efforts quickly win over the residents of Smallville. He saves many but still too many he cannot. There is only so much even he and Clark can do. No one doubts his humanity after witnessing him crying over a dead child he failed to reach in time. He heard the boy's cries for help and knew the wall was crumbling but he couldn't let go of the section he was holding till everyone was clear. His roar as he sees the wall fall and silence the child is filled with all the pain everyone is feeling.

Realizing his secret is not worth anyone's life, Clark uses his powers openly. He even flies the critically injured to far away hospitals and flies in doctors and supplies. Not matter how fast he moves people are still dying. Ever death Clark adds to his mental list of failures.

Chloe and Lois may not have Draggon's and Clark's super powers but you would never know it. They work tireless organizing and leading the rescue efforts.

Straight through the night and into the morning, Clark and his friends aid in the rescue of Smallville's residents. They fight fires, dig thru collapses buildings, and perform countless other miracles.

When there is no one left to save, Draggon goes in search of Marcus. The blast creator is easy enough to find. There he confirms his fears, his friend is dead. He sits down to mourn his friend. The how and why he will figure out later.

Nearly exhausted Clark sits on the back of a fire truck. He is surprised to see Lex's chief of security approaching him. He hands Clark a DVD and walks away. Wondering what could be so important to show in the middle of all this, Clark tracks down Chloe and asks her to play the DVD in her laptop.

Clark watches the surveillance footage in disbelief. He watches it again and again praying that it is a trick. She can't be gone. He adds her name to the list of people he has failed and to the list of people Lex will pay for. Chloe reaches out to support him despite her own pain but he darts off at super speed. He knows what he has to do.

Chloe watches the blur that is Clark race away and wonders how many friends she will lose this day.

Lex awakens with a start. He feels pain but can pinpoint its source. The pain is horrendous but he forces himself to his knees. It is then he notices the red head boy looking at him. "Get away from me! I am not you! I destroyed you! I made my choice!" he screams.

The boy walks over to him and places his small hand on Lex's shoulder. "This time we do it my way" he says.

Clark finds Lex not far from the blast scene. The shattered remains of the battle suit lie about him but that is not what causes Clark to pause in his task. Lex is on his knees crying. Clark has never seen Lex cry.

"Clark, I killed so many. Clark, I killed her. Please kill me. For the sake of the world, kill me. If you were ever my friend kill me." sobs one of the most powerful men in the world.

Clark draws back his fist but a hand on his fist stops him. Lana's hand. Her lips move but he cannot hear her words. That doesn't matter though because her eyes and the small shake of her head tells Clark all he needs to know. The pain in his chest is muted by a growing feeling of peace as he watches her walk into a ray of sunlight.

Lex looks up at Clark with his tears running free down his face and Clark sees something unexpected in Lex's eyes: a small red headed boy waving out at him. Clark realizes in that moment that everyone can change, even a Luthor.

7


	6. Chapter 6

Part VI

Standing amongst the ruins of what was once Main Street in Smallville a plucky female reporter tells her audience "The world as we know it has changed forever. Yesterday afternoon when Smallville was struck by a truly epic disaster, a pair of unnamed superheroes came to our rescue. Their incredible feats saved hundreds of lives and preserved millions of dollars worth of property.

As to the cause of the massive explosion that caused so much destruction, Lex Luthor has stepped forward to accept full responsibility. Apparently, he was experimenting with some new Lex Corp technology when the experiment went tragically wrong. He has voluntarily turned himself into the authorities while they conduct their own investigation.

While the identities of these superheroes remains a mystery, this is one reporter who will sleep a little easier knowing they are out there watching over us. This Lois Lane for Daily Planet News Network signing off. Good night America."

After the camera man yells cut, applause comes from her cousin who is standing just off camera. Lois runs over and hugs her. "Thanks for letting take the story." she exclaims to Chloe.

"My pleasure. Thanks for telling the story Clark asked you to." she replies. She steps back from her cousin and surveys what is left of her hometown.

"Well, I don't like letting Lex off the hook so easy but I have to agree the world is not ready to know aliens really do exist. This way people can get to know Clark and Draggon for their actions and not their birthplace or appearance. Are you sure you are ok with me taking this story? It has to be hard for you. Your passion for reporting is what got me interested in the field. I want you to understand how much this means to me." Lois explains as she puts her hand on Chloe's shoulder.

Tilting her head slightly, Chloe flashes her award winning smile and replies "I am not the reporter in the family. You are. I have a different calling. It is time I embraced it."

"How did Clark take you calling Ollie?" Lois inquires. The "How is Ollie?" remains unspoken but Chloe still hears it.

"Surprisingly well. Last night changed Clark. He realized for the first time just how much of a difference he can make in people's lives. I mean, he always helped people but from the shadows. Last night he put himself out there and found acceptance, not the fear he expected. He is still terribly naïve about the whole thing but I think he has finally embraced his destiny." a very pleased Chloe explains.

"I still can't get over Smallville being an alien. Sure it explains a lot but wow. How did you live with this secret so long? I have known only a few days and it is driving me crazy." Lois remarks.

"It wasn't easy let me tell you but he is worth it." Chloe says with a dreamy look in her eyes. With a slight shake of her head to clear it, Chloe continues with "You should come by the farm tomorrow to meet the rest of the team. Clark asked them to help with the rebuilding."

"I don't know if I can make it. As the only reporter to actually witness the events as they happened, I have a string of talk shows to visit. Lex may have reformed but he still intends to squeeze every bit of publicity out of me he can for his network." Lois states. It is a small lie as they both know she will be there no matter what so Chloe doesn't call her on it.

Elsewhere:

"Jor-El!" yells Clark as he floats into the fortress.

Appearing out of thin air, Jor-El exclaims "My son! You are safe!"

"How could you?" Clark demands as he lands in front of Jor-El.

Confusion clouds Jor-El's holographic features "To what do you refer?"

Visibly shaking from all his muscles fighting to contain his outrage, Clark demands to know "How could you kill three people! How could you turn Lex into some sort of robot! My life is not worth such sacrifices! No one's is!"

"Your father created me to protect you and I will do whatever I deem necessary to do just that. Your feelings for these humans are admirable but you must not lose sight of your destiny. You will lead these people into a new era. Through you Krypton will be reborn here on Earth. Nothing can be allowed to prevent this from coming to pass." in his flat even tone Jor-El calmly explains to his misguided son.

"That is not my destiny!" roars Clark. "My destiny is to help these people not rule them. My father knew that humans and all life have value. He would never condone what you have done in his name. You have perverted my father's wishes." continues Clark in a forceful tone.

Shaking his holographic head, Jor-El is saddened because clearly his son has gone mad. He is not too concerned for he is confident he can correct the error in Kal-El. Summoning his drones, he orders them to restrain Clark as he baths the fortress in the red sunlight of Krypton.

Stripped of his powers, no matter how Clark struggles, he is unable to break the drone's iron grasp. The drones place him in a crystal chamber which seals before Clark can jump free. Jor-El appears just outside and places his ghostly hand on the crystal. "Don't worry my son. I will fix you." he says. Jor-El is proud to see his son is not afraid. He believes this is because his son has accepted that he knows what is best for him. His programming should warn him not to underestimate the son of Jor-El.

Digging through the snow and ice, Draggon crawls under the belly of the fortress. He hurries to reach the fortress's computer core. While the cold does not physically cause him pain, he still dislikes it. His people have always preferred warmer climates.

Reaching the core, he searches for the AI's crystal but is unable to locate it. When he sees a faint red glow coming from within the fortress, he realizes that Jor-El must be trying to neutralize Clark's powers. Since the AI's crystal is eluding him for the moment, he decides to help Clark by pulling the main power control crystals.

Inside the fortress, Clark pleads with his holographic father. He does not expect to change its mind but he does try to buy Draggon as much time as possible. As long as Jor-El stays focused on him, he shouldn't notice what Draggon is doing.

Clark's faith in Draggon is rewarded when the fortress's main power goes offline. Unfortunately, Jor-El stays on on-line. The look on Jor-El's face right before he disappears leaves no doubt in Clark's mind why Draggon's people fear and hate Kryptonians.

"I should have known better than to use anything Zod fouled." Jor-El declares as his image appears in the crystals of the computer core. Reaching out of the crystals, Jor-El passes his hands into Draggon. Through his arms he seizes control of the nanites in Draggon's body. He orders them to turn on their host. All Draggon can do is scream in agony as he is torn apart from the inside.

Luckily, once the power is cut Clark recovers his powers quickly. Even through the Fortress, he can hear Draggon's screams. Knowing what he has to do, Clark crashes through the floor of the Fortress heading towards the computer core. Trying to block out Draggon's screams, he starts pulling crystal's at super speed. He quickly notices that Jor-El is making no effort to stop him. Suspicious, Clark pauses to scan the fortress with his x-ray vision. His x-ray vision reveals a glowing crystal hidden in a completely different part of the fortress. Realizing this is where Jor-El's AI is coming from, he flies after it.

This draws Jor-El's attention. Leaving Draggon writhing on the ground, Jor-El pursues Clark. Appearing before him, Jor-El pleads "Stop, my son. You are confused. Let me help you."

"I have had enough of your help." Clark replies as he smashes the crystal with his fist. He is surprised to see his blood flow as shards of crystal embed themselves in his hand. The black crystal shards burn. Clark frantically tries to pull them from his hand but some worm their way deeper under his skin.

Suddenly, Clark is struck by a bolt of energy. For an instant, every nerve in his body is engulfed in agony but the pain quickly passes. When his vision clears, Clark is relieved to see the crystal shards falling out of his skin. They are now only broken bits of crystal. Looking over his shoulder, he sees it was Draggon who fired the energy beam.

Rushing over to Draggon, Clark is concerned to see blood seeping from several places in Draggon's hide as well as from his mouth and nose. Coughing up more blood, Draggon wheezes "Don't worry. I will recover. Jor-El's interference has ceased."

Helping Draggon to a flat crystal bed, Clark leaves him there to recover. Clark then makes his way back to the computer core where he returns the crystals to their proper places (or at least where he can get them to fit.) He is please to see power is restored to the fortress but saddened that Jor-El does not reappear. He had hoped a default model would be stored in the main computer even if the more advanced AI wasn't. Despite the evil it caused, it was the closest thing to his biological father he had. Clark sits down and allows himself to grieve for his loss.


	7. Chapter 7

Part VII

Redemption?

"Tell me the truth!" Tess screams as she turns the dial up. While the man on the other side of the glass jerks about uncontrollably from the voltage coursing through his body, he does not speak. "Damn, you tell me what you game is!" she demands but that stupid smile is all she gets. She hates the sympathy and/or pity in that look. She knows this is just another trick of his. Well, he won't follow her again. He won't use her or anyone else ever again. Just to vent her rage she turns the dial up a little bit more.

"If you go much higher, you will kill him." The doctor standing next to her remarks. As a healer one would expect more concern for his patient to be in his voice but the man on the table has proven too many times he is not worthy of such emotions.

Frustrated at being thwarted by this man once again, Tess turns off the device and storms down the hall. Her heels click with such rage you would think the floor would split asunder.

Behind his eyes an argument rages. "She is torturing us! You must let me out. I am the only one strong enough to get us out of this." he rages as he grips the bars of his prison. Alexander is unmoved. Calmly he faces his dark self to explain "You will never be free again. We deserve everything that is happening to us. We will bear our pence and show the world we have changed."

Laughing his dark self replies "You are a fool. She will never let us see the world again. You will see. You will beg me to help. You just wait."

"It does hurt. I don't like being hurt." Lex says to Alexander.

"I know but we killed Lana. He killed Lana. Do we deserve anything less?" is Alexander's reply. "Besides, Clark will save us. He saw. He knows. He will not let us stay here forever."

"Ok" is all the older Lex replies.

Taking his hand, Alexander leads Lex to a happy part of his mind, leaving the ranting dark self alone in its prison.

"It is done" Clark says as he collapses into Chloe's embrace. She holds him as he buries his head and tears into her chest. She knows words cannot help so she just holds him till her arms ache.

Draggon stands silently by unsure what to do at such a moment. He envies his friends. He misses his mate so much lately. Until recently, he had always thought on her filled with guilt. Now watching his friends, he remembers how he felt in her embrace. It makes him sad and happy at the same time.

"Clark, Oliver is inside. He wants to talk to you alone." Chloe gently informs him.

Pulling away, Clark wipes his dried tears and looks at the door. "No. We need to talk to him. There will be no more secrets between us. Not even this." he tells her.

Her heart sores at his expression of love but her mind says "Be careful the promises you make, Clark. There are always secrets."

Confused by her statement Clark starts to get concerned till she adds "For example, I will never tell if I am a natural blond." Her light laugh eases his tension as she hoped but he is still too black and white. She suspects that inability to see gray is what lead his people astray and she will not let him make the same mistake.

Inside the farm house, Oliver paces. He saw Clark land and knows he needs a minute with Chloe but Oliver is too excited to wait patiently. He is not used to waiting. He is a man of action. He knows it is time to act. It's time to take the league public.

Finally, Clark enters the house with Chloe in tow. Clark's hand in hers makes it clear that Chloe is a full partner in more than just their crime fighting endeavors. 'Good for them. They deserve some happiness.' he thinks as an image of a certain now famous reporter passes by his mind's eye. "Good to see you finally have embraced your destiny." Oliver states as he extends his hand to Clark.

"We have a lot to talk about." Clark replies and they dive into the details of creating an official "League of Super Heroes".

Chloe watches as the boys go back and forth about all the details involved in forming a group. After 45 minutes they can't even decide what to call their group so she steps in. "Justice League" she says quietly. Oliver and Clark both stop and look at her. "That's right boys. Our group will be called the Justice League. You can still be the Green Arrow but Clark, honey, you need a new name. I was thinking Superman."

"That sounds a bit arrogant to me." Clark replies.

Pleased that his reply highlights why Superman fits him so well, she tells him "It is who you are. You are more than Clark Kent, more than Kal-El from Krypton. You embody what the rest of us try to be. I am not referring to your powers. I don't know anyone as heroic or noble."

"Well, even though she is biased. I have to agree. It suits you." Oliver adds in a serious tone.

"I don't know." Clark tries to say.

Chloe cuts him off with "Just try it. Besides I don't want to have to redo the costume."

"Costume?" Clark says.

Smiling Chloe pulls out a blue and red suit with a great big S on the chest. She hands it to Clark with the instructions "Try it on."

As Clark is leaving the room to change, Chloe pulls another costume out and hands it to Oliver. "Hey, I already have a costume." he remarks.

"Not like this one. It looks similar to yours but it will protect you from gunfire, fire, and all sorts of other hazards. I got the idea from Draggon's skin suits. Using the fortress, I was able to not only recreate the material but also improve it slightly. I made costumes for the whole team. Each designed to enhance the wears gifts. For example, Aquaman's suit will keep him moist."

"So that is what you were up to all those months I was training in the fortress." Clark remarks as understanding dawns on him.

"Not just costumes. We will need all sorts of things. While I couldn't convince Jor-El to create more than the costumes, he did help me draw up blueprints." She takes out a crystal which glows a soft blue/green. Placing it next to her laptop causes the crystal to transmit, the data it contains to the laptop. Images of fantastic cars, aircraft, gadgets, and even a space station flash across the screen.

"Wow, you have been busy." comments Oliver.

"I don't care what your tests say! He is Lex Luther! He wouldn't know the truth if it came up and bit him." rants Tess.

"Even Mr. Luther would not be able to fool our tests. He is telling the truth. Also, he keeps insisting we let him talk to Clark." Doctor Groll replies.

"Well, that is not going to happen. Run your tests again. I will get the truth out of him eventually." Tess reminds Dr. Groll.

"As you wish." Dr. Groll replies.

"See we are convincing him. The good doctor will help us. You will see." Alexander tells his older self as they watch the argument from behind Lex's eyes.

Left standing outside while Clark and Chloe went into the house, Draggon decides to go to Clark's barn. He is uncomfortable being out in public during the day even though the chances of someone seeing here on the farm are remote.

Inside the barn he sees the rest of Oliver's team relaxing in the loft. Bart, the young man he helped Clark free from the fortress, zips up to say "Hi big man. Good to see you. Are you officially part of the team now?"

The speed at which Bart's words come at him, make it hard for him to follow. Pausing a moment to make sure he understood all Bart said, Draggon replies "I don't know. I have not been asked but I do like helping."

"Well, let me introduce the rest of the team. That tall guy there is Aquaman or AC for short, the hottie in black fishnets is Black Canary, Robocop over there is Cyborg, and the guy in the back there is Martian Manhunter." explains Impulse (aka: Bart).

"Greetings." Draggon addresses the group.

Aquaman waves which is a human form of greeting. Black Canary is more wary and simply bobs her head in greeting. Cyborg walks over and actually shakes Draggon's hand. Martian Manhunter keeps his distance but offers the same bob of the head that Canary did.

"I have heard a lot about you." Cyborg tells Draggon.

"No doubt about it. Our boy here is one bad ass bad guy stomping machine." comments Impulse.

"I was just trying to help." Draggon remarks. He hopes he is making a proper introduction but he knows so little about Earth customs he is not sure. Also, he is not used to being the center of friendly attention. Most places he traveled, the inhabitants avoided him as much as possible. Other races always treated him with a certain amount of fear based reluctance. Which is why the colder greetings of some of the team are more comforting than Impulse's and Cyborg's friendly greeting. Before Chloe, no one willing worked with him who was not like him.

Back in the farm house, Chloe is showing off her own costume. It is form fitting to highlight her figure but is not provocative. "I can't think of a name though. Oracle is what I used with Oliver but it doesn't feel like that name belongs to me. I need a name for me."

"How about Miracle Girl" suggests Clark who is still trying to get comfortable with his costume. The cape keeps knocking things over as he walks around the house.

Oliver knows better than to call any woman, particularly, one Chloe Sullivan "girl" Laughing to himself at Clark's obvious misstep, he has to admit he likes the feel of his new costume. It moves with him and does bunch in uncomfortable places like his old one did. Also, the arrow quiver holds his different sized arrows much more securely than his old quiver.

The look Chloe gives Clark makes it clear he made a poor suggestion. She only says "I don't think that is modern enough. I mean what woman (emphasizes woman) could call herself anything with girl in it."

"It was just a suggestion." mumbles Clark as he endearingly tries to recover from his misstep. His feebly efforts earn him a peck on the cheek from Chloe and Oliver's eternal jealousy at his being able to get out of girl trouble so easily.

"Clearly, this task is beyond us. We need to call for reinforcements." jokes Oliver. His efforts to help Clark only earn him a raised eyebrow from Chloe. 'Hoe does Clark pull off that innocent farm boy routine so well' wonders Oliver.

Amused Chloe allows her two companions to lead her to the barn where their reinforcements wait.

As she enters the barn, Bart zips up with a big smile. "Wow oh wow. This must be heartbreaker or perhaps dream girl." Bart quips.

Laughing lightly at Bart's comments, Chloe takes a dramatic bow.

Oliver says "Well Bart. We don't know this heroic heroine's name and so we sought the help of our trusty companions."

This draws a laugh from everyone but Draggon whom just looks confused and Martian Manhunter who is too serious for his own good.

"How about Echo?" suggests Aquaman.

"or Heart N Soul" suggests Cyborg.

"or Den Mother" quips Bart while avoiding a playful smack from Chloe.

"Why don't we just call her Amazing Do Everything Behind The Scenes Woman?" interjects Black Canary with a smile.

Everyone is having a grand time firing off different names but none seem to fit until Draggon suggests "Guardian. In the time I have known her, Chloe has risked everything time and time again to protect her friends and their secrets."

"Hey, that is not bad." Bart comments.

"I like it too." adds Oliver.

Clark adds "Guardian, does suit you. I know I can trust you to always guard my heart."

This earns a "Bleck, mushy stuff" from Bart.

Black Canary hopes Chloe realizes how lucky she is to have found Clark. She would kill for a man to say with all Clark's serious sincerity something like that to her. Her on and off again thing with Oliver can't be called a relationship. She knows it is more of a tired of sleeping alone thing and she is ok with that. Still, she dreams someone will look at her the way Clark does Chloe someday.

Chloe thinks about the name for a long minute. It fits she decides. "Guardian, it is then." she announces.

"Hurray" cheers the group.

"Ok, back to work. Clark and Oliver can show you your new costumes. I have a date with my laptop." Chloe states and then heads back for the house.

"How about some dinner?" requests Bart.

"Here is some cash. Get everyone's orders and go get. Oh and don't eat it all yourself this time." Oliver says to Bart.

Late the next morning, Oliver is reviewing Chloe's blueprints with his tech staff over a video call. They will study the plans closer but much of the technology required is beyond their current capabilities. There are two manufactures whom could produce the necessary components for these designs: Lex Corp and Wayne Enterprises. Lex Corp is completely out of the question. Even if Lex has truly converted, there are too many of his old followers who would abuse this technology. As for Wayne Enterprises, Oliver knows a bit about Bruce Wayne from having partied with guy but not enough to know if his company is trustworthy enough for this stuff. Bruce has been taking Wayne Enterprises away from its more aggressive marketing of weapons but weapons technology is still a core part of the company's business.

"I will have my people start on the components we can handle but the rest of this will require either Lex Corp or Wayne Enterprises. The aircraft, in particular, would be a tremendous help. I would purchase the division we need from Bruce but even I can't afford them. Compared to Bruce's resources I look like a pauper." Oliver points out.

"Well, it sounds like gaining Bruce's support would be helpful even if he doesn't help with the technology. I will see what I can learn about him." Chloe suggests.

"You aren't going to do anything dangerous are you?" questions Clark.

"I promise just web research for now. Why don't you guys go check on Draggon and the team. The rest of the costumes are in those boxes over there." says Chloe as she points almost absent mindedly as her focus narrows to her laptop. She may not have Brainiac's abilities but thanks to some pirated Kryptonian tech she is sure she can hack any database Wayne Enterprise's has.

Realizing Chloe has effectively dismissed them, Oliver and Clark grab the boxes and make their way out to the barn.


	8. Chapter 8

VIII

Several hours later Chloe must admit she is impressed. Wayne Technologies' database should have been a piece of cake for her to hack but even with her Kryptonian tech she barely managed to gain access. This system is better protected than any military database she has ever visited.

Once in, she did any exhaustive search of the company's activities. She found a few shady deals but nothing recent. In fact, many of those old shady deals had been exposed and canceled when Mr. Wayne resumed control of the company after he returned from his long absence.

Thanks to the aid of some Kryptonian technology, her research into what Mr. Wayne had been doing all that time he was away painted a very different picture than the partying playboy that covers all the headlines. He studied martial arts with no less than 6 masters. He traveled with a stage magician. He spent time as a locksmith's apprentice in New Jersey of all places. And he did a thousand other things. Anyone one of these incidents would seem insignificant but put them together you have a man learning how to do all sorts of interesting things from the very best in each field. A man who could do all these things would be nearly unstoppable. Chloe finds it very interesting that there is a man in Gotham who fits this description. His name is Batman. Still her theory is not proof and her research only shows Bruce studied with all these people. He may have just failed at everything. He may just be the shallow playboy the world believes him to be. There is only one way to find out but she knows Clark won't like it.

The next morning Clark knows something is up because Chloe made pancakes. She only makes pancakes when she needs to ask him something she knows he won't want to do. The bright smile she greets him with only confirms she wants something that is not going to like. Still, she makes really good pancakes.

Several hours later the Justice League is hanging out in the barn under the pretense of training but they just didn't want to be in the middle of what was happening inside. Major disasters, mad scientists, and giant monsters no problem. Get in the middle of a "domestic dispute" not for all the tea in China. Even in the barn, they can hear bits and pieces. Clark maybe Superman but he is clearly not Super Smartman, if he thinks he can change Chloe's mind once it is made up. Oliver realized yesterday that investigating Bruce was going to take someone on the ground in Gotham. He also realized Chloe would want to be that person. It is something she can do and lets the league stay focused on destroying Lex's labs. It makes sense. Chloe should know better than to expect a man in love to see sense.

Victor snaps his fingers to alert everyone that someone is coming out of the house. They see Clark in his new costume storm out. He tenses his legs and pushes off into the air. The creator he leaves behind makes it clear he is not happy. Shortly, after Chloe comes out with a happy smile and plates of cookies.

"So it is settled." she says to the rest of the team.

"Is it?" Oliver asks as he looks to the sky.

"Clark agreed. He will keep his word. He did have a condition which I had to admit was not unreasonable so I agreed. He wants one of the League to serve as my backup in Gotham. Any volunteers?" Chloe asks as she passes around a plate of cookies. The other she gives to Bart.

'You have to give her credit for planning ahead.' Oliver thinks as he takes a cookie. As he bites into, he knows who she wants to go with her. Chocolate Chip cookies are Bart's favorite. Also, Bart still has enough of a crush on her to do whatever she wants and not enough good senses to stop her. Still, Gotham shouldn't be too dangerous, if Chloe's suspicions about Bruce are true. Oliver has to admit it makes sense. He knew Bruce growing up and if he turned into Green Arrow, it is not outlandish to think Bruce became the Bat. To show he is the leader because of more than his deep pockets; he turns to Bart (whose hands are a blur as he eats his own plate of cookies) and says "Bart, why don't you go. You are fast enough to pop out to where ever we are if we need you and be back in a few seconds. Also, Chloe will need someone who will blend in."

"You mean it, boss?" he asks clearly excited at the prospect of not only spending time with Chloe but racing around a new city.

Chloe smiles at Oliver and tips her imaginary hat to show his hunch was correct. "Yep, I think you can handle this. Just remember if anything happens to Chloe you will be the one explaining it to Clark." Oliver replies. Bart's face deflates a bit. Just enough that Oliver is confident Bart will actually pay attention now.

"Great. I need to go to the Fortress to get something but I should be back by tonight. Let Clark know where I ran off too when he gets back from that erupting volcano in Hawaii." Chloe says. She then heads for her car.

Draggon follows to ask "May I accompany you? I want to use the Fortress to let my people know what happened here. I would like to avoid anymore tragedy."

Chloe puts a comforting hand on his massive arm since she can't reach his shoulder without going up on her toes. "Sure. I would love some company" she tells him.

It only takes her a few hours to design and produce her little present for Bruce. She can't wait to see his face when he opens it. She puts it into the box she brought along and goes to find Draggon.

She finds him building something in another part of the Fortress. She has studied Kryptonian technology just enough to have no clue what it is but she assumes it is some sort of communication device. "I am done." she announces.

He looks up from his work to reply "I am not. I was never trained as a tech and this is proving more difficult than I thought. At the rate I am going, it will take several days to piece together the device I need. Do you mind if I stay?" He does not like lying to her but it is best if she doesn't know what he is doing.

"No, I am sure Clark won't mind. We certainly don't want any more of your people showing up unannounced." Chloe replies. She notices what might be a slightly guilty look on his face but she chalks it up to him feeling bad about not going back with her. He can be as inflexible as Clark sometimes. It worries her.

A flash of light later, she steps from the caves and climbs back into her car. She puts her winter coat in the back. She really needs to talk to Clark about getting a thermostat for the Fortress. He may not notice the cold but she sure does. She drives back to the farm.

Even from high above Gotham does not look inviting. There is a sense of gloom over the city which is nearly as thick as the clouds that circle above the city. Oliver's private jet banks to line up for its approach to the private airstrip. Bart is sleeping after eating an enormous amount of food. He is storing up for their visit in Gotham. The first task Chloe assigned Bart was to get the lay of the land as soon as the touch down. She knows this is Bart's favorite part of every mission. She figures even at super speed this should keep him occupied long enough. The plan is for her to go to the hotel while he keeps out the city but she has a better idea.

If Batman is half as good as her research indicates he will be checking into her visit very closely. She went to a lot of effort to make her trip as suspicious as she could. So if she goes straight to Bruce, he will let her in to try and get her to let something slip. Her hope is by the time Bart is finished his tour, she will be back on the plane waiting to go home.

"Mr. Wayne, sorry to disturb you but there is a Ms. Sullivan who is here to deliver a present from Mr. Queen. She insists her instructions are to put it directly in your hands and will not be persuaded to just leave it." Rebecca says into the intercom. Bruce chuckles at the annoyance in his assistances voice. She is more protective than his mother.

"It is ok, Rebecca. Send her in." Bruce replies. He is very curious as to why Oliver sent someone into his city without so much as a friendly phone call. He thought Wayne Enterprise and Queen Industries had an understanding about staying out of each other's cities. He has made it his business to keep tabs as one people like Oliver but his routine monitoring gives him no insight as to this visit. His research indicates Oliver has been devoting a large amount of money to a well hidden division of his company. It reminds him of the same situation he setup to hide his Batman activities. The Oliver he remembers was an unfocused playboy so he doubts Oliver's big secret is for such a noble reason. Perhaps, it is time Batman took a closer look at Queen Industries.

"Welcome to Gotham, Ms. Sullivan. So kind of you to visit." Bruce says gallantly. He has the charm turned up to max hoping to woo her into letting something slip. If that doesn't work then, hopefully, by reinforcing his public playboy image she will under estimate him and let something slip. Bruce has never shied away from using anything at his disposal to get the information he needs.

Chloe walks in carrying a big box. She dressed in a business suit which while professional highlights her features. If Bruce is a playboy, he will be unable to notice much beyond her cleavage. If he is Batman, he will notice a lot more. She is still debating whether or not to let him open the present in front of her. As she sees him, she must admit he is impressive looking quite dashing in his sharp suit but her reporter self notices little details. For example, his suit was taken off and just recently put back on. There is slight gleam of sweat along his collar. A quick look at his desk gives the impression he has been here working but things are thrown about a little too precisely for someone to be have just been working with. No, there is more to Bruce than meets the eye. Unfortunately, none of this confirms her suspicions. He could just be sneaking off to see his latest conquest but that doesn't feel right. Mr. Wayne is often very public with his love life so she doubts that is what he is trying to hide. She trusts her gut on this one. She is positive he is Batman. "Thank you for seeing me. Oliver just insisted I place this in your hands alone." she says while indicating the box. Instead of handing it over, she places it on the floor next to the seat she takes. He eyes the box but does not ask about it.

The young woman before him is clearly not one of Oliver's conquests despite being attractive in the wholesome understated girl next door way. She holds herself confidently and the small smirk on her lips implies she knows something he doesn't. He notes she is not intimidared by him. In fact, she very carefully and discreetly checked him and his office over. She is looking for something he is certain. Exactly what concerns him.

"Bruce, I know how busy you are, practicularly at night, so I will get right to the point. A group of like minded individuals have gotten together to change the world for the better. Oliver would like to offer you a place in our little group." Chloe explains. As Bruce starts to shake his head no, she continues "Don't worry. I explained to Oliver that you prefer to go it alone. We won't interfere with your activities but if you ever need help know our door is open. As to why I am here, we need your help. We have access to technology that we lack the means to produce. Only Lex Corp and Wayne Industries have the capability to produce what we need. Despite Lex's change of heart, we would still be more comfortable doing business with you. We know you are very good at keeping secrets." Chloe says with a knowing smile. She really just wants to say right out loud she knows he is Batman and it is taking all her restrain not to. She is impressed with his self control because she has no idea what he thinking right now. His face gives nothing away. The guys could learn a lot from Bruce.

"But what makes you think I would help you?" Bruce says. To him it sounds like Oliver might be getting ready to take over the world. Bruce realizes he has let himself become too focused on Gotham. He needs to look around a bit more. Keep a closer eye on the Oliver Queen's of the world. There is always so much too do and never enough time he thinks while suppressing a sigh.

Chloe can tell she has his attention but she has not convinced him yet. "I don't expect you to make a decision on the spot. I prepared a brief synopsis on our group to give you a better idea what we are up to. In the mean time, (lifts the box onto the table) enjoy our little present. I think you will find it is the best suit you have ever owned. Have your people check it out and then give us a call when you have made your decision. Thanks for your time." she finishes. Then she stands and walks out before Bruce can even reply. She resists the urge to look back.

As soon as his office door closes, he opens the information she left. Inside is a flash drive which he plugs into his computer. He is not worried about viruses as this computer is well protected and not on his network. The information that pops up is incredible. There are files on a number of "superheroes" he has been hearing rumors about and their exploits. It details the number of people saved, evil plans thwarted, etc. He is genuinely surprised to learn Oliver is the Green Arrow. He must be slipping to have missed that. He really needs pay attention to life outside of Gotham. He can never win his war without knowing the whole picture. The young lady just in his office is there as well. The rest of the team's idenities are not included but Bruce gets the message. He knows the signficagnace of the information Oliver is trusting him with. Reviewing the other files, he sees designs for items which are clearly well beyond cutting edge. Many of which would be very helpful in his personal war.

After many hours of reviewing the files, he is interrupted by Rebecca. She is going home for the night and wants to know if he needs anything else. He waves goodnight to her as he remembers the box. Carefully opening it, he is not surprised to see a Batsuit inside. 'So that is what she was looking for: confirmation.' Bruce realizes. Oliver is guessing and is not 100% certain that Bruce is Batman. Bruce shakes his head at the enoroumous risk Oliver is taking by exposing Bruce to his secrets. That is the Oliver he remembers. The really tough question is how to reply? Deciding that the night air will aid his thought process, Bruce opens a hidden panel to change to his real working clothes.

Bart is still pouting when the plane touches back down in Metropolis. He had expected to have at least a few days off Oliver's leash to explore a new city. Chloe tried to make it up to him with a copy of Mark V racer which hadn't even hit store shelves yet but even that didn't work. Despite Bart's disappointment she is convinced her mission was a success. It may take a few weeks but Bruce will come around.

As soon as Chloe is gone, Draggon goes to the communication panel and triggers the crystals necessary to reach another of his brothers. They have no home base but they all do stay in conctact sharing leads and other information. Alegon answers his hail. Draggon says "Greetings brother. It is good to see you still fight on."

"And you. Marcus is seeking you. He grew concerned when you did not check in." Alegon explains.

"It with sadness I must tell the Brotherhood that Marcus fights no more. He fell destroying a Kryptonian construct. He saved me and the world I am on." Draggon informs his brother.

"That is dark news. Our numbers grow fewer everyday." Alegon replies. He feels Marcus' lost as deeply as Draggon does.

"Both of our ships were lost in the battle. Is there one the Brotherhood can spare?" Draggon asks.

"Not at the moment but if you are in need of rescue I can divert to your location." Alegon offers.

"That is not necessary. Despite this being a primitive world, the locals have been most helpful. Also, I want to make sure there is no more Kryptonian devices lurking here. I will contact you when I am ready to leave." Draggon tells Alegon.

"As you wish. Good hunting." Alegon replies.

"And to you brother." is Draggon's reply as he ends the connection.

Confident that no more of his brothers will show up unannounced, he gets back to work on his other project. He is still not sure if he can or even should do this but for now he continues his work.


	9. Chapter 9

IX

Clark is concerned that Draggon still has not returned from the fortress. As much as he tolerates the big lizard, he still doesn't trust him. It bugs the heck out of him that Chloe trusts him so much. Sure, he helped with a number of disasters but several were his fault in the first place. _I don't think I will ever forgive him for what he did to Chloe._

As he appears outside the fortress, he is surprised to see Draggon working no where near the communication equipment. In fact, he is working on the fortress' computer core. _What is he up to? _Clark casually enters the fortress and as he suspected Draggon is obviously concerned to see him. "Hi, How is the work going?" he asks innocently.

Draggon eyes Clark carefully. He is not sure but he thinks Clark suspects. He replies "Not as well as I would like. I was never trained as a tech so I am trying to figure things out based on what I remember witnessing others do. I was hoping even with the Jor-El AI off line I could access the computer core as I am certain there are blue prints for what I am trying to do in there somewhere but so far no luck." that should throw Clark off the scent he hopes.

"Is there anything I can do?" Clark asks.

"Did you study Kryptonian technology?" Draggon asks fairly confident Clark hasn't yet. If he has, there will be no hiding what he is up to.

"No. I never finished my training. Well, if you need anything let me know." Clark says as he leaves. Clark makes a mental note to check on Draggon more regularly. Perhaps he can convince Chloe to find out what he is doing. He has learned that when Draggon's tail twitches, he is nervous.

"Thank you." Draggon replies.

"I tell you he is up to something up there. He was no where near the communications equipment. He then tried to give me some lame excuse about trying to access the computer core when he knows I know the interface is in another part of the fortress." Clark rants

"Calm down. I don't believe he would try to hurt us." Chloe says

"Then why did he lie to us?" Clark snaps back. He has been fuming all day on this.

"Why don't we just confront him?" Chloe asks slightly annoyed at Clark's paranoia while part of her brain is praying it is paranoia.

"If we do, we may never learn what he is really up to. I thought you might talk to him. You and I will go to the fortress but I will stay out of sight and listen. He trusts you so if he will talk to anyone, it will be you." Clark says

"He trusts me because I don't spy on him. I have no problem going to the Fortress and asking him what he is doing. If he lied about whatever it is, he must have a good reason." she replies.

Still grumbling, Clark reluctantly agrees to her plan. He doesn't like her asking him directly but he has to admit spying on your friends only ends badly.

At the Fortress, Chloe nervously walks in. Draggon hears her and turns to her. "Chloe, welcome back. I am nearly done." he tells her.

"Did you have any luck reaching your people?" she asks as she approaches where he is working. She knows from Clark that this is not the communications console but she doesn't know what this one does.

He looks at her face then looks away for a moment. "I did reach my people."

"So what are doing now?" she inquires.

"It is a surprise for Clark, if it works. I am ready to test it. How do you say keep your fingers crossed."

Chloe crosses her fingers and smiles as Draggon places a crystal into the device he was working on. An image of Jor-El appears for a moment then fades comes back and fades again. Draggon adjusts the controls until finally the image solidifies.

The hologram says "My son. By the time you see this I will be dead many Earth years." before it stops realizing that Clark is not present. It turns to Draggon and inquires "What are you doing in this fortress soldier of Zod? Where is my son?"

"He will be here soon. The fortress was damaged and I think I repaired it." Draggon explains.

Jor-El pauses for a moment as he checks all his systems. He has just been activated from the backup system but the fortress has been on line for several years. He finds record of damage done to the fortress as well as his earlier self. He is appalled at what that version did in his name. Looking at Draggon with sad eyes he says "What was done should not have been done. My creator made me in his image and neither of us condones what my predecessor did."

"I don't think what happened was an accident. Chloe told me how Clark once battle Brianiac here in the fortress. I think the construct manage to corrupt some of the original programming to enhance Jor-El's negative traits trying to convert that Jor-El into itself." Draggon explains.

"You restored Jor-El?" a stunned and bit frightened Chloe remarks. _See Clark you just have to have faith in people_ she thinks rather smugly.

"I am sorry for deceiving you but I didn't know if I could find and reboot the system. I was afraid the original version of Jor-El had been destroyed. It was not fair to raise Clark's hopes until I knew if this would work." Draggon explains.

Clark zips into the fortress stopping before the hologram of his father. "Jor-El?" He knows it is just a simulation but he still missed it.

"Yes, my son. It is good to look upon you." Jor-El replies in a warm voice the previous version lacked.

Clark turns to Draggon to say "Please forgive me. I sent Chloe up here to spy on you. I knew you were up to something and I assumed the worst. I should have known better. Can you forgive me?" as he extends his hand.

Draggon clasps Clark's forearm in the way of his people. "Clark there is nothing to forgive. I did deceive you. You had cause to be suspicious. I hope you can forgive me for deceiving you."

Clark cannot believe what he is hearing. "Well at least accept my thanks. In spite of all he had done, I still missed him."

"I understand my friend." Draggon replies. His mind flashes back to his days as a simple primitive living in his primitive village. How he misses those simple times. He would give anything for a link back to that part of his past.

"My son. You are long overdue your training. Will you resume it?"

"Bruce this suit is amazing. It is bullet proof, fire proof, just about anything I can think of proof. Where did you get it?" Lucius gushes. The gleam in his eye reminds Bruce of Christmas morning when he was 5 as he excitedly unwrapped the Ultraman action figure he so desperately wanted.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Have you figured out how it was manufactured? Could you replicate the process?" Bruce replies

"I don't know how to say this but I don't think this produced locally." Lucius says.

His curiosity aroused, Bruce asks "Explain."_ Where did Oliver get this technology from?_ _And the other items on the flash drive? They are like something out of sci-fi movie they are so far beyond even his company's cutting edge tech._

"Well, all technology is based on certain principles which you can trace back to figure out where it originated from. This suit is not based on any scientific principles I am familiar with. The ideas behind this suit have given our people a whole new direction to go in. We can't indentify the material used to make the suit but it appears to have been grown. This leads me to believe this was not made my Earth science. So let me ask you again, were did you get this Bruce?" Lucius says.

"Is it safe to use?" Bruce asks avoiding Lucius' question.

"I can't say. It doesn't appear to have any malicious intent but the tech is so far beyond ours I just can't say. Give me another week and let me see if I can't come up with some answers for you." Lucius replies honestly.

"Fine. I will be out of town for a few days anyway." Bruce replies as he turns to leave.

"Where you off to this time?" Lucius inquires.

"Metropolis" Bruce says as he turns his head to look at Lucius just as the elevator doors close.

Chloe runs down the alley all the while wondering how she gets herself in these situations. She can hear the howls of the creatures she is chasing. She still cannot believe Lex Corp hid a lab right under their noses. Her research showed that Lex had established this lab before his revelation but found no indication he had any recent involvement. In fact, there has been no sign of Lex is some time. Also, she found no information that indicated that Tess, the current CEO of Lex Corp, knew of the lab so it was likely just running amok all on its own. The thought of how many more of these labs that are now continuing Lex's agenda without even his supervision terrifies her.

She would never have checked it out on her own, particularly with everyone half way around the world, if she thought for a second it was more than a storage site. She certainly did not expect to find giant mutated dogs which thanks to her cutting the power to cover her breaking in were able to rip through their cages. Her stomach threatens to heave again as she remembers seeing what was left of the dogs' handlers. Now, the dogs were running lose in Metropolis with only her to stop them. She had tried calling the guys but they were still in communications blackout so her messages weren't getting to them. She knows Oliver is going to have another long talk with her and this time she admits she will deserve it.

It is times like this she misses Clark. Who is he kidding she misses him constantly. It has been two months since he went to the Fortress to finish training with Jor-El and no one has heard anything from him. She has no idea how long he will be up there. She tried to visit but the key no longer worked when she inserted it in the device in the caves. She considered going up to the Arctic a more traditional way but Draggon warned her that interrupting the training could be dangerous for her and Clark so she didn't. He explained that what she witnessed before was the equivalent of a warm up before the main training started. Clark won't even be on Earth as he will be living in an alternate universe as he learns. It is not fair of him to leave her alone even though she knows he had to go.

She rounds a corner to see two of the dogs attacking a car which they have pushed onto its side. The people inside are screaming for help but she is not sure what she can do. Sure she trained with the guys but nothing covered this situation. She pulls out one of the gizmo's Oliver made for her. It is a small golf ball sized gas grenade. With some luck, it will put the dogs to sleep. She lobs it so it will land on the hood of the car. Unfortunately one of the dogs sees it coming and turns to catch it in its mouth. The dog swallows the grenade and a moment later she can see gas escape its mouth. The dog staggers for a moment then goes down.

The other dog turns its attention to her and charges. Chloe leaps out of the way as she throws another grenade. This dog ignores the grenade and lunges for her forcing her to leap up to a nearby fire escape ladder. The dog just misses biting her leg off as she pulls herself up. The dog then leaps into the fire escaping trying to knock her lose. Chloe clings to the railing as she tries to think of another way to stop the dog as she only had two of the sleep grenades.

Looking around she notices a power line running not far above her head connecting this building to the pole in the street. _Sorry pooch. I know this isn't your fault._ Chloe throws one of the boomerangs Oliver taught her how to use. It slices the power line dropping it onto the dog's back. She watches guilty as the dog spasm from the voltage. The transformer on the pole explodes in a shower of sparks and the line goes dead. The dog wobbles but then collapses. She hopes it will be ok. _Someone will pay for this._

She goes over the car to see how the people trapped inside are but they are not there. They must have run away when she distracted the dog. A howl followed by a loud crash draws her to the next street over. There she sees another dog dragging a cab across the street towards the park. The air is filled with the smell of burning rubber as the driver floors the cab trying to break free.

After thinking about what she knows of dogs for a second, Chloe whistles as loud as she can. This causes the dog to release the cab and look around. It spots her and runs toward her. Waiting till the last possible second, she dives up and over the dog. As she hoped, it turns its head to snap at her as she passes overhead. It never notices the guardrail until its front paws collide with it. The dog tumbles over the railing and falls to the road below. The fall stuns the dog and one of its paws hangs at an odd angle. Chloe follows the dogs off the overpass and launches herself into a kick. Between her costume and the added height her blow knocks the dog out. She pets the poor unconscious creature as she apologizes for hurting it.

_Three down, two more to go_ she thinks as she heads for the park. In the park she sees one dog gnawing on a downed tree. Its massive jaws rip great chunks out of the tree. _How the hell am I going to take this one down?_ Searching for something to help her, she sees the perfect way to trap the dog. The stables for the horse and buggy teams that work the park are only a short distance away. This time of year she knows the stalls are empty so all she has to do is lure the dog in there and secure the door. If the stables can keep the human predators of Metropolis out, then it should be able to contain this monster dog. She makes her way to the stable. There she picks the main door lock and does a quick inspection. She is pretty sure this will work.

To lure the dog over, she loops her climb cable around the top of the stables and ties off a large branch. She then hoists the branch into the air in front of the door. With everything ready she whistles. The dog looks around but does not get up. She tries whistling and calling "Here boy. Want the stick? Come and get it boy." while swinging the branch. This does the trick and the dog comes bounding over. She swings her tree branch bait through the door and the dog dives on top if it. She then swings down and slams the door. She shoves the metal manual pull bars into place. The dog rams the door but it is holds. She feels guilty hearing the pitiful howl the dog starts making when he realizes he is trapped. He is clearly not happy about being locked up.

With all the noise of the dogs howling, she misses the sound of the other dog approaching. As she leans on the door catching her breath, she looks up to see the dog closing with her. She pulls on her line so she is drawn back up to the top of the stables but the building is only one story and the dog leaps on top of it in one bound. Chloe tries to jump clear of the roof but the dog catches her cape. She pulls the cape release and falls awkwardly to the ground. Before she can recover from the fall, the dog chomps down on her. Her costume prevents the dog from biting her in half but his bites still hurt. She feels her ribs give and can taste blood. _An oversized chew toy, not exactly how I thought I would go out._ The dog shakes her viciously before throwing her to the ground. Stunned and unable to draw enough of air to clear her head, she watches amazed as a small black object strikes the dog's fur just behind the head. The dog clearly does not like whatever that device does as it paws at its neck trying to dislodge it. The dog moves drunkenly and then collapses.

"Sorry, you were doing so well I didn't want to interfere." A gravelly voice says behind her.

Titling her head back she sees a man in a black bat stylized armor. "Thanks." she says.

"That is the last of them?" he asks.

"I think so." she replies while wincing in pain.

"Let's get you out of here. Do you have a secure location?" he inquires.

"Yes." is all she says before the world spins as she blacks out.

Chloe wakes up on a very soft bed. As she sits up she winces in pain. Looking down she can see someone bandaged her ribs. She also realizes whoever did so had to remove her costume to do so. While she let Bruce look beneath her mask when she went to visit him, she was not prepared for him to look underneath the rest of her costume. She chides herself for being self conscious when Bruce clearly was just helping her. _Best not mention this to Clark. That would be awkward and potentially messy._

The door opens and an older gentleman enters. He is carrying a tray of what her nose tells her is food. "Good to see you awake miss. I am Alfred, Master Wayne's butler. How are the ribs? If the bandages are too tight I will be happy to adjust them."

"So you bandaged me?" she asks as her stomach growls at her for not asking about the food first. He is a grandfather type so she doesn't mind so much him seeing her. She is certain if it was Bruce she would turn bright red the next she saw him.

"Yes. As you know, in Master Bruce's line of work there are plenty of opportunities to practices my field medic skills. Not knowing your preferences, I brought a small assortment of sandwiches, some chicken noodle soup, and coffee. Although, I must say a tea is better suited to a meal." he replies. He sets the tray on her lap and removes the covers. "Please eat. Master Bruce will be back shortly. He took the liberty of leaving a message for Mr. Queen letting him know you were resting at Mr. Wayne's Metropolis penthouse. Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No. Everything looks delicious." she says as she picks up a large chicken salad sandwich. She normally would have taken the healthier turkey but she feels she earned this. She chomps happily after Alfred excuses himself. He does insist she ring should she require anything else.

Very carefully she gets out of bed and looks for her costume and gear. She finds them neatly stacked on a nearby dresser. She pulls out her communicator and calls Oliver.

"Chloe! Are you ok? I got your messages and tried to call you back but you didn't answer. This made us all concerned about you. We are in the air on our way back to Metropolis. Bart would love to race to your rescue but he broke his leg on this last mission. (hears "Sorry Chloliscous" from Bart in the background) The old look where you are going is even more important at super speed. Then I got Bruce's message. What is going on?"

"Well, I think Bruce came to Metropolis to join our little club." Chloe starts to say but Oliver cuts her off.

"You are dodging Guardian. What happened? Spill." he orders.

Sighing she confesses "The storage facility I found turned out to be one of Lex's monster factories. He turned poor strays into hulking killing machines. Bruce helped me stop them. That is all."

"And the part of Bruce's message which says you were hurt but will be fine?" Oliver inquires.

Knowing she is totally busted, she replies "Just a few ribs. The last dog surprised me. Yes, I know I shouldn't have gone in alone and I promise I won't do it again. There, happy?"

Oliver laughs as he replies "As long as you are ok. I don't want to be the one to explain to Clark when he gets back that something happened to you." He meant his words as a joke but as they leave his mouth he knows he made a mistake. _Poor Chloe. She misses him terribly and you go and rub that in her face. Smooth Oliver, real smooth._

"See you soon." is all she can say in reply as she hangs up. She moves to the bedroom window and stares out. She doesn't see the city, she is lost in her memories. A knock at the door shakes her out of her melancholy. She slips back into bed and arranges her sheet to ensure she is covered before replying "Come in."

Bruce walks in dressed to the hilt in a magnificent business suit. "Alfred says you are feeling better." he says in way of a greeting.

"Much thanks to you. Do you know how the dogs are?" she replies. The man before her intrigues her. She can see similarities to Oliver but Bruce has an intensity that Ollie lacks. She can see why women are so drawn to him.

Bruce casually sits on the edge of her bed. "Think nothing of it. The dogs have been taken to a Wayne Technologies lab where we will do everything we can to return them to normal. There are street clothes in the two closets there. I am sure you can find something to wear or you are welcome to wait till nightfall and leave in your gear. I do hope you will stay for a bit at least. I have a lot of questions which I believe you can answer."

"Sure. Just give me a few minutes to clean up and dress." she replies.


	10. Chapter 10

X: I'm back

Five years. Clark still can't believe it has been five years. Jor-El didn't warn him his training would take that long. He hopes Chloe will be able to forgive him. She is very understanding but five years is a long time. Leaping into the air, Clark enjoys the sensation of the wind on his face as he races through the sky in search of his beloved.

From the news he reviewed before leaving the Fortress, the Justice League has been busy. They are public now which not everyone is thrilled about. Overall, it seems the public is happy to have heroes to help them. Clark will talk to the League in due time. He needs to find Chloe first. He heads to her apartment in the Talon.

When he gets there, he lands and switches to street clothes. He runs up the stairs at normal speed since the Talon is open. At the top of the stairs, he anxiously knocks on the door. He is completely surprised when Lois opens the door.

"Clark, you're back!" she shouts as she wraps her arms around him giving him a big hug.

Confused and a bit concerned, he asks "Where is Chloe?"

He sees Lois' face fall before she answers "She doesn't live here anymore. She moved to Gotham about two years ago. She waited for you a long time, Smallville. I have never seen her so miserable. When she started dating Bruce, (whispers) who is Batman by the way, I was happy for her. She finally seemed happy again. Please don't go screwing up her life again."

Clark staggers slightly on this news. He knew he had been gone a long time but he hoped she would have waited for him. _Was it fair to think she would wait?_ "I don't want to hurt her. I love her." he stammers.

Lois can see the pain and confusion on his face and the stupid big lug melts her heart. Kicking herself for being such a sucker, she grabs his arm and guides him to her sofa. She then sits next to him and does her best to comfort him.

Chloe sits brooding in the Batcave. The news is full of "Superman" who appeared in Metropolis which she immediately recognized as Clark. _At least he kept the code name I gave him. _She is torn because she had hoped he would contact her but he hasn't. On the other hand, she is living with Bruce so she can imagine how Clark is feeling about that. Her main problem is which man does she really love? _Clark is, well, Clark and Bruce is Bruce. That is the best my highly trained mind can come up with? Damn all men._ Unable to solve this puzzle she just sits and stares at the news feeds.

Bruce paces in the main foyer of his mansion while the woman he loves lurks below. He knows what she is going through. He found himself in a similar situation when Talia came back from the dead while he was dating Selina. In the end, he lost both. As much as it may cost him, he doesn't want Chloe to suffer his fate. Summoning his resolve, he makes his way down to the Batcave.

She hears Bruce's footsteps on the stairs as he descends into the cave. She can't bring herself to face him even though he deserves for her too. _Why is figuring out what is in my heart so hard. Why does it hurt so much? _

He can see her reflection in the monitor. It is easy to see the tracks of her tears. "Chloe, you need to go to him. You need to talk to him." he tells her simply while doing his best to hide the tension in his body.

"Bruce, I don't, I" she tries to explain. He wraps her in his arms as new tears fall. She doesn't deserve him. He deserves someone who loves him with her whole heart. Hers is in too many pieces for her to give to any one person no matter how much she may want too.

Lifting her chin so he can look into her eyes, he gently wipes a tear away while he tells her "Chloe it is ok. Believe me, I understand. Know that no matter what I am here for you. There is a limo waiting to take you to the airport and your luggage is already in the trunk. Go to him. Find out what your heart needs."

She loves him more for his words but they also make her leaving that much harder. She can't think of the right thing to say so she puts everything into a strong passionate kiss on his lips. She then runs up the steps while she still can.

Clark is patrolling Metropolis looking for bad guys when a flash of light gets his attention. Zooming his vision in on the light source he sees Chloe in her Guardian costume. He wastes no time zipping over to her. He lands and starts to hug her but then pulls back. Face to face with her or at least mask to mask with her, he finds he doesn't know what to say. They just stand and stare at each other for what seems like an eternity for each of them.

"I am sorry I was gone so long. Lois told me about Bruce. I am glad you are happy." he says with as much conviction as he can. He is glad she is happy but it still hurts.

She sees right through his good friend routine and gets right to it. "I am not happy Clark. That is the trouble. I met and fell in love with this out of the world man who just happened to be my best friend but then he left me. I know he had to go. I truly do understand but it hurt. It hurt so bad for so long. Then Bruce came along. He never knew you which made it easier to be around him as everyone else just reminded me of you. Also, he helped me become who I am today. In the beginning, I went to him to escape all the reminders of you and to learn. Then (takes a deep breath as this honest moment hurts her) I used him to forget. He was there. He was willing. I used him. In this line of work, I never expected or, to be honest, wanted to fall in love again. Bruce was just a place to hide every now and then. Something unexpected happened though. I found myself caring for him more than I wanted. In time, I realized I was falling in love with him and I hated myself for that. I could live with giving him my body but my heart still belonged to you. Giving him any part of that seemed to be giving up on you while betraying you at the same time. I agonized for so long. I am sorry because I know this must hurt you. Please know I never wanted to do that."

"Chloe I never wanted to hurt you either. I am sorry for making you suffer for so long. And yes it hurt to find out you are with Bruce but I really only want you to be happy even if that is not with me." Clark tells her from his heart.

"Damn you Clark. Can't you just be angry? This would be so much easier if you weren't such a great guy. You didn't ask me to wait. That was my choice and as much as it hurt I don't regret it. The trouble is I don't have any idea where to go at this point. Seeing you again has brought back all these feelings but I do love Bruce. I just don't know what to do." she replies from her heart. She props her head against is barrel chest.

Hope fills him at her words but at the same time he doesn't want to hurt her again. "Chloe, a lot has happened. We are different people than we were then. Let's work on being friends again and see what happens from there. If Bruce is truly worthy of you, he will understand and give you time to work out what is in your heart." he says as he gently wraps her in his arms.

"Actually, he is the one who insisted I come see you. I was still avoiding you." She confesses.

"I didn't go to Gotham for the same reason Chloe." Clark admits. "I had a number of perfectly logical reasons for not going but the truth is there are some things even Superman is afraid to face." he continues.

The next few weeks are difficult. She splits her time between Bruce and Clark but the more time that goes on the more impossible her decision becomes. They are both great men whom she cares deeply about. Her indecision is hurting all of them. While they have remained impressively civil with each other, they both have had nasty arguments with her.

Most of the other members of the League have taken to avoiding her and the situation. She doesn't blame them but it is hard having only Draggon to talk to. He means well but he is just, well, too alien to really understand what she is going through. She does laugh to herself at the memory of when she told him she loved two men. "Bond with both." was his answer. If only it where that simple.

After several months, Chloe has finally reached a decision. It is the hardest decision she has ever had to make. "Clark, I will always love you but I realize I am no longer in love with you. I hope we can always be friends. Please tell me you understand." she pleads.

"I do. Too be honest, I think I always knew you would pick Bruce. What we had was too far in the past for either of us to recapture. Don't worry, you can always depend on me." he tells her with tears in his own eyes. He knew when she contacted him what was coming but even the Man of Steel can be hurt.

A few month later, Clark sits at his desk at the Daily Planet turning a wedding invitation over and over in his hands. He just can't bring himself to go but he can't bring himself to decline either. _Where is an interstellar disaster when I need one?_

Lois walks in late, as usual, sipping her coffee while at the same time trying to eat her bagel all while avoiding spilling anything on her dry cleaning. She sees poor Clark sitting there holding the invitation and her heart goes out to him. She knows how hard this has been on him and she thought he was finally moving on but now she has to wonder. "So are you going to be my date or what" she blurts out before her brain can stop her. It is not fair to have the hots for him while he is still grieving the loss of her cousin.

He looks up at her and smiles for the first time in weeks. "Sure Lois." he replies.

**I am ending the story here unless great inspiration strikes. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. **


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